AUTHOR S ABSTRACT OP THIS PAPER ISSUED 

 BY THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, JANUARY 17 



THE EFFECT OF POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE ON 



THE MESENCHYME CELLS OF TISSUE 



CULTURES 



WARREN H. LEWIS 



Carnegie Laboratory of Embryology, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, 



Maryland 



SIXTEEN FIGURES (ONE PLATE) 



INTRODUCTION 



Potassium permanganate (KMn04) is usually looked upon as 

 a strong oxidizing agent and, when in contact with protoplasm, 

 is supposed to give up nascent oxygen, 2 KMn04 + H2O = 

 2 KOH + 2 MnO + 50. The experiments herein described were 

 begun with the idea that an excessive supply of nascent oxygen 

 might produce visible characteristic changes in the cells. One 

 cannot be sure that any particular series of changes is peculiar 

 to the especial agent employed, unless there have been similar 

 experiments with many other substances which can be used for 

 comparison. Potassium permanganate does, however, cause a 

 sequence of changes which lead to the death of the cell. These 

 changes are not peculiar to potassium permanganate since dead 

 cells in cultures that are not treated with any agent sometimes 

 show a somewhat similar condition. In normal cultures, however, 

 the changes leading to this specific death condition cover hours or 

 days, while with potassium permanganate a few minutes suffice 

 to produce them. 



The nucleus is the particular cell organ one would first exam- 

 ine, since it is supposed to be especially concerned either with 

 oxidations and reductions or with syntheses.^ The normal rest- 

 ing nucleus can usually be located without difficulty. It is 



1 Lynch, V, 1919 The function of the nucleus of the living cell. Amer. 

 Jour. Phys., vol. 48. 



431 



